Jaguars DE Arden Key always plays Chiefs with ‘chip on his shoulders’

Defensive end Arden Key had the chance to join the Kansas City Chiefs in free agency but instead signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars. These two teams are now set to face off against each other in the Divisional Round of the Playoffs and Key recently discussed what a win would mean for him.

Key talked to the media Tuesday and says that he’s played Kansas City with a chip on his shoulders throughout his career. He adds that it would be great to come away from Arrowhead Stadium with a win.

“I’d be great, just to beat them”, Key said. “I was drafted with the Raiders, so for the first three years, we play them twice a year every year and I beat them once or twice then, so every time I get to play KC, it’s a chip on my shoulders. Me coming in and me not being able to come out with as many wins as I wanted, so other than that, we get the win, it’d be great”.

A third-round pick by the Las Vegas Raiders in 2018, Key’s first three seasons in the NFL were markedly uneventful. The former LSU Tiger posted just three sacks in that span and was released in 2021.

Key went on to have a career year with the San Francisco 49ers and hit the open market in 2022. He’s previously said that he could have signed with Kansas City but was lured by the challenge the Jags offered and “wanted to do something” in Jacksonville.

Throughout the offseason, his signing was dubbed one of Jacksonville’s best moves. He appeared in all 17 games with three starts and logged 4.5 sacks, 27 total tackles, and five tackles for a loss. Here’s a clip of Key’s comments, via Mia O’Brien of 1010 XL.

Arden Key and the Jaguars D-Line must slow down Patrick Mahomes

Key has played six games against the Chiefs but he’s mustered just one win. The Jags already lost to Kansas City in the regular season. The five-year veteran says the Jags’ pass rush will need to come alive Saturday if they want to have a chance at winning, “pressure, it’s the pass rush. The pass rush has to come alive”.

Slowing Patrick Mahomes down is no easy task. Although they held the Chiefs to seven points in the second half of their previous matchup, the damage was already done. They gave up three touchdowns in the first half and spent the remainder of the game trying to catch up. This time, they can’t afford to let Kansas City get off to a quick start.

The Jaguars are underdogs when they visit the Chiefs but if they can avoid mistakes early and keep their offense in check, they might indeed have a shot.